Tuesday, September 22, 2009

OLTL: Dorian's Big Gay Wedding

Spoiler Alert! How is Robin Strasser celebrating her 30th year as devious Dorian on One Life to Live? By pretending to be a lesbian and marrying a woman per TV Guide Magazine.

Dorian and her archenemy Viki (Erika Slezak) are currently in a battle to become mayor of Llanview. When Dorian learns that the Llanview Gay and Lesbian Alliance is supporting Viki, she hatches a plan to win the LGLA vote by having her campaign manager-boyfriend David (Tuc Watkins) fake being gay. When David refuses to go along with the stunt, Dorian hires a new campaign manager, a calculating lesbian named Amelia (Tia Dionne Hodge). Soon after, Dorian holds a press conference and reveals she’s in love with Amelia and intends to marry her.

Their wedding won’t be a simple affair. In fact, it’ll be part of a mass marriage of 22 same-sex couples, orchestrated by the LGLA to bring worldwide attention to the gay-marriage issue. In staging the epic nuptials (airing October 30 and November 2), OLTL hired some 100 extras to play brides, grooms, cops, reporters and protesters. Nick (Nicholas Rodriguez) and Kyle (Brett Claywell) are among those who‘ll get hitched that day—that is, if Kyle’s true love Oliver (Scott Evans) doesn’t stop them.

Ron Carlivati explains the storyline twist in a new interview with Michael Logan.

Well, there is a bit of a twist to this. The weddings are set to take place on the eve of the election and, if Dorian wins, [she promises] to issue real marriage licenses to each of the couples. If the validity of the licenses is contested, she’ll take the case to the Supreme Court. So, ultimately, there could be something very real at stake. Also, at that point Oliver has decided he wants Kyle back. Kyle’s feeling about Oliver is, “You’re just coming out, and I’ve been hurt by you in the past and I don’t know if I can trust you.” And here’s this guy, Nick, who’s out and proud and true to who he is. Also, Kyle feels that by getting married he can support other couples who want to do the same. I think once we raise the possibility that Dorian may legalize these marriages, it becomes a little more serious.

8 comments:

  1. OLTL is THE BEST soap on the air!

    I'm over my GL grief and can no admit that show had so many issues with poor writing that drove me nuts. I never have those concerns over illogical plots or misguided characters or twisted morality with OLTL.

    This puppy rocks on all levels.

    Now why the heck don't the OLTL spend a dime on promoting the show? Given the show's diverse cast and storyline, there should be outreach to black, Latino, Asian, and gay mags and blogs.

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  2. Good lord. I can't believe how much of a slap in the face this seems, coming off watching GL. We'd have loved to have seen an onscreen commitment ceremony btw Otalia, but to have this Dorian wedding farce is just a bit much. It's a gimmick. And not appreciated.

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  3. No wonder Ron C. and his actors have been making the rounds with GLAAD in NYC.

    I don't think this is in any way shape or form intended to insult GL's Otalia fans. Whatever issues Otalia had were the problems of GL's showrunners, TeleNext/PGP and CBS, not ABC's and especially not Ron's when you read his take on the Otalia storyline in Michael Logan's Q&A.

    I'm sure now that this storyline is public, the press will be alerted of it and we'll see how the AFA responds!

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  4. It's a way to manipulate the lesbian/gay viewers as much as it is a fictional manipulation of the gay/lesbian community in Llandview.

    They better be rubbing elbows with GLAAD because something tells me this stunt won't be well liked by those of us in the lesbian community, especially, sick of being used for either poorly written stories half told or well told stories that aren't told all the way.

    And to read Strasser's thoughts on this - she doesn't sound all that gungho beyond having a job.

    Just wrong...

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  5. For me this sounds very interesting. I would ask readers to be aware that a story outline and final outcome can often be two different things. What sounds gimmicky on paper can turn out to be a beautifully told story, and vice-versa. Given that Ron Carlivati is spearheading this, [the same creative force behind "Kish"], I feel confident the story will be told respect, sensitivity, and lots of campy fun.

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  6. Wow, Dorian is going to fake being gay? I'm going to watch this just to see Robin Strasser's performance.

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  7. Damon - Here is the thing. When you read Strasser's comments they don't seem very confident that she won't have to play it where she isn't happy with Dorian as a character. She seems almost happier to have a contract then with the story.

    And if it's going to be well told you then have the Head Writer address it the way you describe.

    This FAKE out lesbian wedding as simply a way to bring Kish together.

    It just smells of stunt:
    - Ratings and mainstream media press because - "look at the gays and the lesbians..... and the people who hate them."

    The plot has giant holes:
    - The boys getting married in this group ceremony after dating, what... three months.

    It smells of the Pratt/Frons Bianca wedding and annulment crap - no matter who is in charge of it because they are making it to hard on themselves with the way they are steering their own press.

    I am not looking for them to give it a way in press release but this isn't going to do anything but get them on Access Hollywood and Entertainment Weekly.

    The lesbian audience is still stinging from the recent AMC and GL adventures in half told or stunting and this reads like more of the same. The boys in daytime are getting the world handed to them on a plate these days and this sounds like one giant joke on a lesbian audience that wants just one of their love stories FULLY told. It's to soon to be throwing lesbian weddings under the bus to make the gay boy romantic pairing happy.

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  8. I love this idea - it's classic Dorian. Let the highjinks begin!

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